As anticipated, it was during the summer that the highest volume of traffic was recorded in MUAC’s airspace. From the beginning of June to the end of September 2024, MUAC handled 669,774 flights; representing an increase of 3% compared to the same period the previous year. The factors contributing to this increase include the typical seasonal uptick in flights for the summer period as well as additional flight schedules related to major sporting events in Germany and France.
July was the busiest month for MUAC with 172,195 flights. The busiest day of the year was also in July with 5,649 flights on 11 July, coinciding with the beginning of the summer holiday period. This figure is just short of the all-time daily flight record that was set in 2018.
In terms of delay, MUAC reported an average delay of 0.20 minutes per flight across the full year with weather as the primary cause. This was lower than the prediction of 0.23 minutes per flight and in line with the previous year. This was achieved due to pre-tactical and tactical management as well as advanced Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) techniques using MUAC’s iFMP.
Reflective of its unique area of responsibility, which includes managing the upper airspace of Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and north-west Germany, the top five destinations for flights through MUAC’s airspace in 2024 were Amsterdam, Heathrow, Frankfurt, Paris and Stansted respectively.
Commenting on MUAC’s performance in 2024, Peggy Devestel, Director of the EUROCONTROL Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC), said: